Ranting, not Raving

Most of my posts have been positive about living in Ecuador, so I struggled with whether to post this one at all. Plus, let me preface this with I understand the W theory of living abroad and I know that all things ebb and flow. With that said, I am feeling so frustrated with Ecuador right now.




I know that things will get better and I know that the absolute statements my brain is producing right now, aren't really absolute, but for the love of all things holy: would it kill you, Ecuador, to develop some infrastructure!

I need a new censo, which is a government ID card. I lost mine months ago and have been putting it off because I know what a hassle it is going to be. But now that I'll be leaving the country in about a month and seeing that I have to have it in order to leave the country, I have finally decided it's time to get a new one. But of course you don't go to the place that you first received your censo. No, I have to go file a police report, write a letter, and then return to the censo office to get a new one. Now, I'm sure somewhere this is all written down, but nowhere easily accessible to an English speaker. So in reality, I might have to do 5 other things because this list is just word of mouth. Where's the police station? Well, I think there's one here or there. What do I need to take with? Maybe your passport, maybe your visa application, maybe money. What time are they open? They might open at 8 or at 10 and they're certainly closed between 1-2:30 or maybe between 12-1:30 or they might just close all together after lunch. Will I be able to speak enough spanish to understand the instructions and to understand the form? Who really knows. What I want to know is why in the world can't you have a page on the internet that tells what to do when a foreigner looses their censo?

Then also, we're trying to go to Mindo or Puerto Quito or somewhere for the holiday we have this weekend. We want to camp because we don't have any money. We figure we can buy a package of hotdogs and some apples, make a loaf of bread and call it a day (or 3 days). But do any campsites have websites? no. Phone numbers? no. Are there even campsites in Mindo? Who really knows; it's best to just go and see. Can we take Chuki on the bus? Some people say yes, some say no, some say it depends on the driver, some say if you pay for a seat then you can. Is there a bus from Puerto Quito to Mindo? I'm not sure. Maybe there is one that drops you off on the side of the road, but maybe there isn't.

People, who knows anything here? How do people get things done here? Is this seriously your idea of successful, efficient management of a country.

Anyways, there's my rant. There it is. Hope you enjoy it. I'm hoping a little West Wing and a lot of running will help me out of this funk. I'll let you know how it goes!

MULUB,
Taylor